XMLHTTP and javascript

[L_P]

I'm using XMLHTTP to grab the source from various pages so that I can extract links and information from them.

I've encountered a case where the information I need is buried inside the head block of the page, inside a script tag.

When I examine the string loaded into the xmlhttp's "response text" field, I'm finding that the script source has been filtered out. I.e. it's gotten the open and close script tags, but nothing between them.

Do I need to do something special with my XMLHTTP calls to get the javascript source to load? At the moment, I'm just doing the vanilla

      oXMLHTTP.Open "GET", theURL, False
      oXMLHTTP.send

to load in the page.


Looking at the page's source itself, I find that within the script tags, the code itself is enclosed between "<.!--" and "//-->" tags. (Without the period in that first tag, of course - that's just to get this parser not to strip out those codes in my forum message! )

Does this have something to do with it - and, if so, how do I get vba to go ahead and read the information wrapped within these tags?


thanks,
LP

 

[John_w]

It's difficult to help without knowing the URL.

The HTML comment tags "<.!--" and "//-->" is a standard way of hiding Javascript code from browsers which don't support Javascript or in which Javascript is disabled. I doubt whether these tags are causing the problem.

The code below correctly displays the embedded Javascript in the head section of this thread:

<.script type="text/javascript">
<!--
var SESSIONURL = "";
var SECURITYTOKEN = "guest";
var IMGDIR_MISC = "images/misc";
var vb_disable_ajax = parseInt("0", 10);
// -->
<./script>

Public Sub XMLtest()

    Dim URL As String
    Dim XMLhttp As XMLhttp
    Dim i As Integer
    
    URL = "http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=597448"
        
    Set XMLhttp = New XMLhttp
    With XMLhttp
        .Open "GET", URL, False
        .send
        For i = 0 To 1
            MsgBox Mid(.responseText, i * 1023 + 1, 1023), Title:=i + 1
        Next
    End With
        
End Sub

As I said, I can't really help without the URL to see exactly what is happening.

 

[L_P]

Re: XMLHTTP and javascript [SOLVED]

Thanks for the reply.

<snip>**snip**

Okay, I really *really* hate it when I struggle with something for several hours and then, in the course of finally breaking down and asking for help, stumble into the answer. To wit: I'm an idiot.

I was just proofreading the response and examples I'd typed in for you when it struck me:

The script tag for the page in question had the src="..." flag set.

I.e. the browser was loading in the script from a different page - but VBA's XMLHTTP parser (as was obvious the moment I asked myself the question) - was not. It doesn't "fill in" the source the way browsers do.

I pointed the url parameter to that source code page instead, and it worked like a charm.



Ah well, thanks for the reply that got me to realize this! Now that you've provided a good sounding board, I need to go find a good brick wall against which to bang my dense head...

-LP</snip>

 

[tomcatonnet99]

Re: XMLHTTP and javascript [SOLVED]

Thanks for the reply.

<snip>**snip**

Okay, I really *really* hate it when I struggle with something for several hours and then, in the course of finally breaking down and asking for help, stumble into the answer. To wit: I'm an idiot.

I was just proofreading the response and examples I'd typed in for you when it struck me:

The script tag for the page in question had the src="..." flag set.

I.e. the browser was loading in the script from a different page - but VBA's XMLHTTP parser (as was obvious the moment I asked myself the question) - was not. It doesn't "fill in" the source the way browsers do.

I pointed the url parameter to that source code page instead, and it worked like a charm.



Ah well, thanks for the reply that got me to realize this! Now that you've provided a good sounding board, I need to go find a good brick wall against which to bang my dense head...

-LP</snip>

Could you please share ...